Great Power Reclamation

The promulgation of the "Political Framework Design for the Transition Period of the East African Republic" acted as a precise remedy, gradually calming the previously fervent public opinion.

People now know that the "Guardians" Ye Rou and Ye Mei have not left; they will protect this land and its people in a more sublime and eternal way.

The day-to-day governance will be the responsibility of the government led by Governor Ye Rou. This arrangement satisfies the public's need for spiritual symbols while also allowing room for the professional operation of the state apparatus.

In the capital of Somalia, a simple yet solemn ceremony was held to confer the title of "Lifetime Guardian" and to establish the "People's Governing Council of the East African Republic." The ceremony deliberately avoided overly extravagant displays, yet was full of symbolic meaning.

Ye Rou and Ye Mei, dressed in simple white dresses, stood side by side in the central hall of the former royal palace, now renamed "Republic Palace".

When representatives from the Governance Institute representing various regions and industries of the alliance presented them with the "Guardian" badge engraved with a map of East Africa and an olive branch, the audience erupted in prolonged applause.

Many delegates from the Solomon Islands and the Marseille region had tears in their eyes, as if the pillars of their hearts had been officially crowned, becoming even more solid.

Ye Rou then delivered her policy address to the newly established People's Governance Council as its first chief executive officer.

She emphasized that the "Guardians" system is a unique creation on the land of East Africa, rooted in history and serving the future.

“We respect the past, but we look to the future. The ‘Guardians’ ensure the stability and continuity of the country, while the People’s Governing Council and the ruling government will be committed to promoting development and practicing the rule of law, so that the well-being of every citizen can be truly improved.”

She announced the transitional government's top priorities:
1. Legal unification: Accelerate the formulation and promulgation of the Basic Law of the East African Republic (interim constitution), clarify the rights and responsibilities of the Guardian, the Governor, and the Governing Council, and on this basis, integrate the laws and regulations of the original Somali Union and the new territories to form a unified legal system.

2. Economic Integration: Fully promote the full circulation and credit consolidation of EASU in the new territory, accelerate the construction of infrastructure connecting various regions, especially transportation and energy networks, break down regional barriers, and form a unified market.

3. Security consolidation: Continue to eliminate the remaining forces in Tajikistan and terrorists in border areas, strengthen the internal security network, and ensure a safe and stable development environment.

4. Educational Access: Implement a compulsory education system centered on national identity, basic knowledge, and vocational skills, with particular emphasis on cultivating "East African citizenship" consciousness among young people.

The congress elected the first speaker of the Council of Governance, a respected and legally knowledgeable veteran politician from the former Sogdian region, demonstrating respect for procedure and professionalism.

After the ceremony, Ye Rou stood on the balcony of the Palace of the Republic, looking at the cheering crowd in the square, and whispered to Ye Mei beside her:
"Now, the two wheels are barely installed. But whether it can move smoothly depends on the road conditions and driving skills."

Ye Mei nodded, her gaze profound: "The key is that the driving force must not be biased. The people's love and respect is the driving force of emotion, while the system and law are the rational and lasting driving force. We must ensure that the latter grows up as soon as possible."

The first and most challenging task after the establishment of the People's Governance Council was to review the "Draft Basic Law of the East African Republic". This document, drafted under the leadership of Ye Rou and bringing together top legal talents within the alliance (including some former Tajik legal scholars who defected), became the focus of the power struggle among various factions.

The draft clearly defines the status and authority of the "lifelong guardians":
They are symbols of national unity and constitutional order. They have no direct executive power, but they possess the power to enact laws (which require the countersignature of the Consul), the power to confer the highest honors, and the power to initiate a state of emergency upon the joint request of the Consul and the Speaker of the Council of Government when the country faces a serious crisis.

At the same time, the personal safety of the guardians is sacred and inviolable, and their funding is guaranteed by the national treasury.

For the consul, the draft law grants him real power, including leading the cabinet, commanding the armed forces (under the symbolic supreme command of the guardian), handling daily government affairs, and concluding treaties with foreign countries.

However, major decisions, such as declarations of war, peace negotiations, and major fiscal budgets, require approval from the People's Governing Council.

The governing body possesses legislative power, budget review power, and the power to question and supervise the ruling officials and the cabinet.

The draft has sparked heated debate in the Council for the Advancement of Governance.

Representatives with military backgrounds, such as Yang San, supported Governor Ye Rou's leadership but expressed concerns about certain clauses.

During a closed-door meeting, Yang San bluntly stated: "Will granting the governing council too much power to constrain the governors, especially in military and budgetary matters, reduce efficiency?"

"Decisions made in wartime cannot be delayed in the slightest!" He worried that excessive constraints from the civilian government would tie the hands of the military.

Meanwhile, some representatives from the new territories, particularly intellectuals and local leaders from the former Tajik region, are trying to gain more local autonomy.

They proposed that the Basic Law should clearly list the "local reserved powers," including the autonomy to manage certain cultural and educational affairs, local taxation, and grassroots judicial affairs.

“We do not disagree with a unified East African Republic,” said Abdul, a representative of elders from the region where the town of Vasa is located, sincerely.
"However, the situation varies from place to place, and a one-size-fits-all policy may not be suitable. Giving local areas some flexibility can be more effective in governance and can also reflect the alliance's original commitment to respecting multiculturalism."

Representatives also raised questions about the succession of the guardians.

The draft avoids this point, only specifying Ye Rou and Ye Mei as the first lifelong guardians. This leaves a huge uncertainty for the future.

As the ruling official, Ye Rou personally participated in many key discussions. She demonstrated great patience and political acumen.

In response to the military's concerns, she promised that the special procedures for emergency and wartime regimes would be clearly defined in the Basic Law and the subsequent National Security Law to ensure the efficiency of military operations.

However, it was also emphasized that the military in peacetime must obey the leadership of the democratically elected government, which is a fundamental principle of modern states.

Regarding the demand for local autonomy, she instructed the establishment of a special committee to consult with local representatives and formulate the "Outline of Local Autonomy".

As a supporting document to the Basic Law, it clarifies the division of powers and responsibilities between the central and local governments. The principle remains "joint governance between the central and local governments, with centralization as the main approach and autonomy as a supplement," but it grants local governments a certain degree of autonomy in cultural and specific economic fields.

As for the issue of the succession of the guardians, she temporarily shelved the discussion, citing that "the time is not yet ripe and the priority at present is to consolidate the existing system."

However, it suggests that the issue may be resolved through a special procedure of the governing council or some form of consensus mechanism in the future, ruling out the possibility of simple hereditary succession.

After several rounds of arduous debate, revisions, and compromises, the Basic Law of the East African Republic was finally passed by a large majority in the House of Peoples' Governance.

When Governor Ye Rou and Guardian Ye Mei jointly signed and promulgated this basic law, it marked that the East African Republic finally had a preliminary, though imperfect, but crucial, fundamental law, thus binding the giant ship of the nation with the ropes of the rule of law.

While the legal framework was being developed, the challenges on the economic front were even more severe and direct. Ye Mei's economic team faced the dual tasks of thoroughly consolidating EASU as the Republic's sole legal tender and dealing with international sanctions pressure.

In new territories like Vasa, the promotion of EASU, while showing initial success, was still not firmly established. Many farmers, like Old Kabu, remained accustomed to barter or harbored a deep distrust of paper money.

In some remote areas, old Tajik currencies and even those of neighboring countries are still circulating covertly. More problematic is that remnants of Tajik power and external interventionists are exploiting this to carry out financial sabotage.

They counterfeited large quantities of EASU and flooded the market in an attempt to disrupt financial order and undermine EASU's credibility.

For a time, counterfeit EASU banknotes appeared on the market, making it difficult to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit ones, causing great distress to vendors. At Aisha's stall, she had to prepare a simple banknote detector to carefully examine every banknote she received.

This severely impacted trading efficiency and market confidence. "Damn counterfeit money!" she couldn't help but complain. "The league needs to figure something out!"

Meanwhile, the effects of international sanctions continue to unfold.

The United States and its allies use their financial hegemony to pressure international banks and companies attempting to trade commodities (especially oil and minerals) with the East African Republic, thus hindering EASU's international settlements.

Ye Mei's plan to use EASU to settle regional trade has been progressing slowly, and some neighboring countries that were originally ambiguous have begun to waver under pressure.

“Our foreign exchange reserves are being depleted,” Ye Mei said gravely at the economic conference. “The import costs of key equipment and technology are soaring, and inflationary pressures are mounting.”

"If the financial blockade cannot be broken as soon as possible, EASU's domestic credit will also be affected."

Faced with internal and external troubles, Ye Mei demonstrated extraordinary courage and skill.

Domestically, she adopted a strategy that combined both "toughness and appeasement":

1. Crackdown: In conjunction with Yang San's security forces, a special operation to "crack down on counterfeit currency" was launched, dismantling several counterfeit dens, publicly destroying a large amount of counterfeit currency, and severely punishing those who use and sell counterfeit currency, thus deterring criminals.

2. Technological Upgrade: An emergency commission was made to a precision manufacturing company under the Brother Group to design a new version of EASU with more complex anti-counterfeiting features (such as metallic threads, colored fluorescence, watermarks, etc.), and the old version was gradually recalled.

At the same time, we promoted simple banknote verification tools and developed a simple SMS query code verification function using the mobile communication network that was being deployed (although the coverage was limited, it represented the direction).

3. Credit empowerment: Strengthen cooperation with the military reclamation supermarket system, stipulating that all military reclamation supermarkets and related merchants must unconditionally accept EASU and ensure sufficient goods and stable prices.

This is equivalent to providing EASU with a solid "physical anchor". As long as people hold EASU, they can buy daily necessities and various high-quality goods at the military reclamation supermarket, which greatly enhances the credibility of the currency.

Old Kabu discovered that he could not only exchange the EASU he earned from selling grain for goods at the market, but also directly buy all sorts of novel products from the heart of the Alliance at the newly opened branch of the Military Reclamation Supermarket in town. This greatly increased his trust in the piece of paper.

Externally, Ye Mei has adopted a more flexible and covert approach to financial diplomacy:
1. Finding loopholes: She used the vast business network established by Erhong and Martha to conduct "barter trade" or use emerging means such as cryptocurrencies through complex channels such as third countries and offshore companies to bypass traditional financial regulations and obtain necessary materials and technologies.

2. Divide and win over: Increase lobbying efforts for countries dissatisfied with US policies or with their own interests, offer more favorable trade terms, and try to establish small-scale bilateral local currency settlement mechanisms to gradually pry open the financial iron curtain.

3. Tap into internal potential: Accelerate the integration of internal resources and industrial upgrading within the Republic, and reduce dependence on certain key imports.

The trading company and the construction corps under Yang Da's leadership played a crucial role in this effort. They worked hard to increase food self-sufficiency and develop local alternative products. Although they faced numerous difficulties in the short term, this was the fundamental solution in the long run.

This currency war was silent yet fierce, concerning the economic lifeline of the newly established republic. Ye Mei was walking on the edge of a cliff, needing to be extremely cautious with every step.

Despite the intense internal integration efforts, external security threats have never been far away.

The remaining hardliners in Tajikistan and their backers are unwilling to see the rise of a unified and stable East African republic.

They chose to reignite the flames of war on the border when the Republic was still unstable.

This time, they changed their strategy, abandoning direct attacks and instead adopting a more cunning "worm" tactic.

Small armed groups frequently infiltrate and attack remote villages, damage infrastructure (such as water pipes, power lines, and communication base stations), spread fear, and intimidate or even assassinate local officials and teachers working for the coalition.

Near Kuma village, a water pipeline painstakingly laid by the Alliance Engineering Team was destroyed, plunging villagers who had just begun to enjoy convenient access to water back into a water shortage crisis.

Although the repair team quickly made the repairs, the shadow of fear had already been cast. The windows of Elsa's school were also smashed with stones by unidentified individuals one night, fortunately without any injuries.

An even greater challenge loomed on the northern border. A remnant force of Tajikistan, well-supplied and supported by external intelligence, launched a surprise attack on a newly built, strategically important border post, taking advantage of the complex terrain.

Although the outpost garrison fought bravely, they were outnumbered and suffered heavy casualties.

When the news reached the capital, Yang San was furious, but he also realized the difficulty of the operation.

"These guys are hiding in their holes like rats, playing hide-and-seek with us using the length and complexity of the border! Conventional positional warfare has limited effectiveness!"

He submitted a new "Comprehensive Plan for Border Security and Counter-Terrorism" to Chief Executive Ye Rou and the People's Governing Council, requesting increased budgets and equipment for border troops, especially helicopters, drones, and other equipment for reconnaissance and rapid response. He also advocated for the formation of more elite mountain warfare units and special forces to conduct "surgical" clearing operations.

The plan sparked controversy within the governing council. Some representatives argued that it would make the republic appear overly militarized, diverting already strained development funds, and worried about the excessive expansion of military power.

After weighing the options, Ye Rou approved the core part of Yang San's plan, but with a condition:
Military operations must strictly adhere to the Basic Law, and major operations must be reported to the Chief Executive and the National Defense Committee of the Council of Government.

At the same time, military operations must be closely integrated with political appeasement and economic development. "We cannot solve problems with bullets alone,"

Ye Rou said to Yang San, "We must make the people in the border areas understand that following the Republic means they'll have good fortune, while following bandits means certain death." (End of Chapter)